In the wake of yet another disastrous year in American politics, two of the nation’s foremost experts on Congress provide their brief, strongly argued take on what’s wrong and how to fix it.

About the Author

Thomas E. Mann is the W. Averell Harriman Chair and senior fellow in Governance Studies at The Brookings Institution. He is a former executive director of the American Political Science Association. He lives in Bethesda, Maryland. Norman J. Ornstein is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and the author of a weekly column for Roll Call, called “Congress Inside Out.” He lives in Washington, D.C. Both are fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. They are coauthors of The Broken Branch: How Congress is Failing America and How to Get It Back on Track.

President Obama has been re-elected. Democrats and Republicans have maintained their respective majorities in the Senate and in the House. So does this mean there will be more partisan gridlock? Fresh Air talks with political analyst Norm Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute. More at NPR.org

The two Washington political veterans who wrote the new book claim today's Congress is probably the most dysfunctional since the Civil War â?? and they aren't afraid to point fingers at who they think is to blame: the Republican Party. More at NPR.org

Paul A. Volcker, former Chairman of the Federal Reserve“More than anytime in my lifetime, the United States is challenged at home and so is our place in the world. When Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein get together to sound a loud alarm about the way our political system is being torn apart, it’s time to listen—and listen hard. Then the tough part—how do we restore some sense of common purpose, of working together to make our government work? Mann and Ornstein set out ways to rebuild political bridges, beginning right now. We better get to work.” Chuck Hagel, U.S. Senator (1997–2009), Distinguished Professor, Georgetown University“This is an exceptionally important and cogent analysis of America’s breakdown in self-governance. It is an urgent warning of the consequences of our intolerant politics and governing paralysis, and ways to fix it.” Tom Daschle, former Senate Majority Leader“One doesn't have to agree with every one of Mann and Ornstein’s proposals to appreciate the extraordinary contribution to improving governance that they make in this important book. We could do no better than to use it as a compelling blueprint for urgently needed reform. If every member of Congress would read just one book on the subject, my wish is that it would be this one.”

E. J. Dionne, author of Our Divided Political Heart“The phrase ‘essential reading’ does not begin to get at the importance of this passionate warning by two of our very best political scientists about our nation’s capacity to govern itself. Mann and Ornstein sweep aside the timid conventional wisdom to inform Americans that our problems are even worse than we think they are. It is absolutely vital that this book’s findings and message enter the consciousness and consciences of journalists, politicians and citizens who care about the future of our republic.”

William Jefferson Clinton, 42nd President of the United States of America“In It’s Even Worse Than It Looks, Mann and Ornstein diagnose the roots of our nation’s new legislative order. In doing so, they draw attention to the forces holding back America’s future and the changes we must make in order to overcome them.” Robert G. Kaiser, Washington Post“Reading this book is a little like quaffing a double espresso on an empty stomach — it’s a jolt. For this reader it was a welcome jolt. . . . Thomas E. Mann and Norman J. Ornstein have been Washington fixtures for three decades. They are two of the brightest, best informed and most scholarly students of our politics. . . . [As] Mann and Ornstein document so vividly, at a time when only good government could help us rediscover our footing as a nation, our Grand Old Party defines itself as the party of anti-government. This is why the title of this book is so good: Our situation really is even worse than it looks.” Paul Krugman, New York Times“The Congressional scholars Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein have been making waves with a new book acknowledging a truth that, until now, was unmentionable in polite circles. They say our political dysfunction is largely because of the transformation of the Republican Party into an extremist force that is “dismissive of the legitimacy of its political opposition.” You can’t get cooperation to serve the national interest when one side of the divide sees no distinction between the national interest and its own partisan triumph.” Timothy Egan, New York Times“[It] is encouraging to see two longtime Washington wise men — Thomas E. Mann and Norman J. Ornstein, sensible, nonpartisan scholars and impeccably credentialed authors of good advice that no one ever follows — come out with a full-blown polemic against the Republicans who have steered Congress off a cliff.” The Economist“What happens to a two-party political system when one party goes mad? That is the question posed in a powerful and angry new book by two scholars at two respected think-tanks, Thomas Mann of the Brookings Institution and Norman Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute.” The Economist, Lexington Notebook Blog“Norman Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute and Thomas Mann of Brookings are highly respected analysts. . . . Coming from them, the claim that the American system is even worse than it looks deserves to be taken with the utmost seriousness. . . . Mann and Ornstein provide one of the most careful, forensic accounts so far of how Congress has worked in these conditions. They are also astonishingly frank about what they think of the Republican Party – and about the media.” Eric Alterman, TheNation.com“Written by Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein, two long-time Congressional scholars, It’s Even Worse Than It Looks fillets the traditional media for perpetuating a principle of false equivalence in its coverage of the two parties, the effect of which, they say, has merely masked the GOP’s unalloyed march toward the fringes of the right wing. . . . Insightful.” Juan Williams, The Hill“We now have history’s first draft of the story of this Congress. There is so much political fog right now that it is hard to get a clear view of the reason for the dysfunction on Capitol Hill. But three new books take a step back to get a clear look at the fray, and all three conclude that no-holds-barred, right-wing politics is to be blamed. . . . Mann and Ornstein paint sad pictures of a House Republican Conference that is ‘more loyal to party than to country’ and intentionally crippling Congress ‘at a time when the country faces unusually serious problems and grave threats.’” R. Garrett Mitchell, The Mitchell Report“[A] compelling analysis of the gridlock that characterizes America’s domestic politics.” Steve Benen, The Maddow Blog, MSNBC“[W]hat we have here is a group of respected, credible, inside-the-beltway establishment types who are now willing to acknowledge what is plainly true: Republican extremism has no modern precedent, and it making governing and policymaking nearly impossible, even during times of crises – despite the demands that Very Serious People agree that “both sides” are always to blame for everything in all instances. Indeed, they’re making these pronouncements in a surprising, matter-of-fact sort of way. Here’s hoping other respected, credible, inside-the-beltway establishment types feel emboldened to be equally candid about reality.” The Daily Kos“[An] excellent book that… may have an impact on the 2012 campaign. . . . [It] should be read by every progressive. It’s not going to change many progressive minds, but it deepens our perspective on the history of this and the political science perspectives involved. . . . That is one of the keys to the brilliance of this book…Buy the book. Pass it around. Spread the word. Our nation has a crisis in Congress worse than anything we’ve seen in 150 years. The sooner more of us recognize that, the sooner we can get to work on solutions that are appropriate to the problem.” Matthew C. Nisbet for BigThink.com“Thought-provoking.” Editorial Board, Anniston Star (Anniston, AL)“Make no mistake, Ornstein and Mann are not party hacks. Their employers operate near two ends of Washington’s ideological spectrum, with Brookings more in line with liberals and AEI friendlier to conservative causes. . . . We shutter at the notion of U.S. politics becoming more dysfunctional.” Times Argus (Barre-Montpelier, VT)“Mann and Ornstein are highly experienced and respected observers of the Washington political scene. Their views are important and deserve the American public’s attention, especially during this election year and at a time when the Republican Party has eagerly embraced a simple, if inelegant, strategy of opposing any accommodation with Democrats, no matter what.” Bonnie Erbe, Scripps Howard News Service“Two of the most sage politics watchers of our time are congressional scholars Norm Ornstein of the (mainly conservative) American Enterprise Institute and Thomas Mann of the (more Democratic than not) Brookings Institution. Together they've written and just released a book called “It’s Even Worse Than It Looks.” It is about our broken, dysfunctional, nonfunctioning partisan political system. . . . When and if voters learn to think strategically and reward problem solving, the American impasse might end. If they punish rather than reward obstruction, the blood of American democracy might start flowing once more.” Catherine Poe, Washington Times Ad Lib Blog“Something awful happened on the way to the 21st Century. This should have been the new American century, but by the time the Republican Party got through with us, we were a country, battered, on its knees, reeling from the body blows. . . . Just out and stirring up debate… [It’s Even Worse Than It Looks] confronts our uniquely American problem head on.” Tom Moran, New Jersey Star Ledger“[T]wo respected centrist scholars, Norman Ornstein and Thomas Mann, have written a book that moves past the bland and lazy conventional wisdom. They argue, with a truckload of evidence, that the blame in Washington lies overwhelmingly with Republicans. . . . .Our national politics has turned a strange corner. And it is a cop-out to say that both parties are equally to blame. Strained attempts to be even-handed distort the reality we face. . . . The book is titled It’s Even Worse Than It Looks and it is both fascinating and alarming." Michael Brissenden, Australian Broadcasting Corporation “[‘It’s Even Worse Than It Looks’ has] blown the lid off the usually staid and predictable world of political punditry.” Barrie Dunsmor, Barre-Montpelier Times Argus (Barre-Montpelier, VT)“Mann and Ornstein are among the brightest and best informed political scientists in the country. . . . [T]his book really is a must read for anyone who cares about what is happening to this country.” Ed Luce, Financial Times“[T]he authors know what they are talking about, lay it out clearly and are right to broadcast their concern about the health of US democracy. They are also correct – and brave – to emphasise the asymmetric nature of America’s polarisation. . . . The book is chiefly about what ails Washington – and its diagnosis is depressingly convincing. The authors are right to point out that things may be even worse than they seem. If the era of ill-tempered partisanship is here to stay, then gridlocked governance is also a fixture. So, therefore, is America’s decline.”David Frum, CNN.com“Ornstein and Mann offer a convincing array of explanations for the trend toward radicalism within the GOP, including changes in campaign finance and in the electorate itself. They offer too a range of proposals to work around GOP radicalism and restore the effective functioning of Congress. If those proposals have a faint wistful air to them, blame the inherent difficulty of the problem, not Mann and Ornstein. . . . [P]owerful and important.”San Ramon Express (San Ramon, CA) “[Mann and Ornstein] have been navigating the shifting currents of the Potomac for more than 40 years each; their expertise is beyond serious debate, their credentials are impeccable, their reputations firmly established. Which is why it’s extremely important to take note of their recent book “It’s Even Worse Than It Looks.” In it, they lay blame for the current policy morass in Washington directly, unequivocally at the feet of one political party: the Republicans. . . . [A] blistering indictment.” Richard L. Hasen, Slate.com“Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein offer both an insightful diagnosis of the problem of a broken Washington and a set of proposed solutions. . . . Mann and Ornstein have done a great public service in opening a dialogue on how to fix the mismatch between our political and constitutional systems of government.”

The Weekly Standard“Mann and Ornstein … are the deans of the Beltway Establishment, at least its intellectual wing. For them to argue so tendentiously that the GOP is to blame for the ills of Washington offers compelling proof of how insiders view the Tea Party and modern conservatism, as well as the tactics they employ to get across these opinions.”

Hendrik Hertzberg, The New Yorker (online only)“‘It’s Even Worse Than It Looks’ is a cogent, concise, and, in its think-tanky way, passionate book. One of its strengths is that the authors go beyond simply (and quite persuasively) scolding the Republicans. They recognize that the G.O.P.’s ‘New Politics of Extremism’ is enabled by ‘the American Constitutional System’ broadly understood. . . . The emperor has no clothes, and kudos to Ornstein and Mann for pointing it out. Unfortunately, the Republican solution is to turn the country into one big nudist camp.”George Packer, The New Yorker (online only)“[Mann and Ornstein have] come to their conclusions more in sorrow than in anger, with the bona fides of gentlemen who would rather not have to pick sides in a partisan fight. . . . In keeping with their constructive role, Mann and Ornstein make a variety of proposals for “fixing” American politics, ranging from holding elections on weekends to calling out political falsehoods on the front page of newspapers. Their ideas are reasonable and, in a few cases, novel.”MacLean’s Magazine (Canada) “An analysis of the problems of the U.S. political system, this book is also something of a conversion narrative: the story of two centrist pundits who have decided that the centre no longer holds. Mann and Ornstein’s previous book, The Broken Branch, blamed Congressional dysfunction on the failure of both parties to work together. In It’s Even Worse Than You Think, they come to a different conclusion: Congress can’t get anything done because the Republicans have shifted so far to the right….”Brent Budowsky, The Hill (Washington, DC)“The most important political book of the year… profoundly truth-telling.”The Wichita Eagle (Wichita, Kansas)“If you’re more interested in helping solve America’s problems than in ideological purity, you must invest time in “It’s Even Worse Than It Looks,” a powerful new book by Thomas E. Mann and Norman J. Ornstein. . . . Mann and Ornstein, respectively of the Brookings Institution and the American Enterprise Institute, two of America’s most prominent and least partisan think tanks, make their indictment thoroughly and thoughtfully through the prism of their differing and moderate philosophies.”Robert Dieterich, Bloomberg News“[Mann and Ornstein], who together have about 70 years of Washington punditry on their resumes, make a bold gambit in their latest book. They drop any pretense that both sides are equally at fault in the current impasse in American politics. . . . This is not another dry analysis of what’s wrong and what needs to be done. After describing the current political dysfunction, Mann and Ornstein propose solutions. Many are well-reasoned… A few are downright creative.”Scot Lehigh, Boston Globe“[A]n important contribution to understanding today’s politics. Mann and Ornstein are widely respected, even-keeled, non-polemical observers who have studied the ways of Washington for decades, so their observations should carry significant weight with serious people. . . . This is an important book and, I think, a particularly courageous one.”John Avlon, CNN contributor (CNN.com)“The essential new book.”Don Wolfensberger, Roll Call (Washington, DC)“[Mann and Ornstein] finger the rogue elephant in the room - conservative Republicans - as being primarily responsible for Congress’ dysfunction. . . . Their charge deserves serious consideration.”Morton M. Kondracke, Roll Call(Washington, DC)“[It’s Even Worse Than It Looks] recommend[s] pathways to undo political stalemate and avoid the decline of America, so [it’s] urgent business. . . . [A] call to arms for citizens and fair-minded politicians to get serious — really serious — about fixing the system.”Paul Krugman, New York Times, Conscience of a Liberal Blog“When future historians write about the fall of the American Republic, they will of course lay primary blame on the extremists of the right, who set out deliberately to destroy it. But they will also lay heavy blame on all the “centrists” and Serious People who not only refused to admit what was happening, but ostracized and silenced anyone who tried to point it out.” Michael DeLong, writing for Brad DeLong’s Typepad“It is good to see two respected centrist observers of Congress recognizing that Republican obstruction of Obama’s proposals is largely driven by a desire to hurt him politically, no matter what its effect on the country. . . . This is an excellent little book that should be read by all people interested in what is really wrong with U.S. politics.” The Washington Independent Review of Books“[It’s Even Worse Than it Looks is] an important argument — the depiction of a body politic that has grown up in a manner that frustrates its creators. And it is a creative way to understand the current turmoil of American politics.”Paul Krugman, New York Review of Books“[A] remarkable if depressing book, especially impressive given its provenance. . . . [U]ltimately the deep problem isn’t about personalities or individual leadership, it’s about the nation as a whole. Something has gone very wrong with America, not just its economy, but its ability to function as a democratic nation. And it’s hard to see when or how that wrongness will get fixed.”

Financial Express (Bangladesh)“[R]ecommended reading. . . . [Mann and Ornstein] criticise the US mainstream media for having done a poor job in explaining the transformation of the Republican Party and its steady rightward drift to a place where compromise is a dirty word.” The Daily Record (Baltimore, MD)“Two veteran political scientists in the nation’s capital say Republicans have deliberately sabotaged government and the media have been a craven enabler. . . . “It’s Even Worse Than It Looks” is an angry, passionate call to arms – to awareness at the very least. The authors, it seems, feel obliged to say that real balance can be restored. The pro-dysfunction side has an enormous head start. All we have is the vote.” Larry Greenfield, Ethics Daily“[If], in this election year, there is a text the public theologian and the citizen of faith should read in order to attain a manageable understanding of what is happening in the dynamic world of politics, at least at the national level, I would venture to make a recommendation of, yes, required reading. . . . Because the authors represent the traditional divide in American political philosophy and yet manage to be critical of their own kind as well as discerning about the shared dysfunctionality of the American democratic system, the book is not just balanced but also alarmingly revelatory.” Francis Wilkinson, Bloomberg View“Mann and Ornstein’s assessment of the Republican Party’s role in American governance is unerringly stark. . . . It’s hard to imagine a more wholesale indictment from two eminent political scientists, each with a decades-long track record of nonpartisan analysis.” Dane Smith, President of Growth & Justice, St. Paul Legal Ledger Capitol Report (St. Paul, MN)“[P]owerfully important…” John Timpane, Philadelphia Inquirer“Thomas E. Mann and Norman J. Ornstein are, by their own lights, straight shooters and fair assessors. Yes, they have viewpoints: Mann works at the Brookings Institute and Ornstein the American Enterprise Institute. You’d think birds of such different plumage couldn’t write a book together unless stapled at the wings. So it was with sharp intake of breath that I realized, as I read It's Even Worse Than It Looks, what was really before me. . . .[E]xceptionally clear-eyed… It’s Even Worse Than It Looks is a bracing, surprising assessment with much to disagree with; read it. You may agree, you may not, but you won't be unaffected. And you just might be persuaded.” Thomas McAdams Deford, The Free Press (Rockland, ME)“[T]he authors of It’s Even Worse describe the depth of the hole our Republican politicians have dug in recent years from which escape will involve, initially, self-awareness, followed by the kind of hard slogging that, in the absence of war or at least the Cold War, will not be easy to pull off. The book… should be assigned reading in Washington, not merely because it’s a no-holds-barred expose of how far, and why, we’ve veered from the exceptionalism we attribute to our country, but because of the bipartisan background of the authors.” Michael Crowley, New York Times Book Review“[Mann and Ornstein] are considered straight shooters. So their key argument is striking. . . . Things may not only be worse than they look; the worst may be yet to come.” Ezra Klein, New York Review of Books“In a refreshing change of pace from other books in this genre, Mann and Ornstein spend considerable time debunking the pat solutions that have traction in the public debate but little chance of actually working. . . . [T]hey have done the public a great service—and have been much braver than many in the media, the think tanks, or Congress—in using their personal credibility to clearly describe what has happened to American politics in recent years, and who is primarily to blame.” Salem News (Salem, MA)“[A]bsolutely wonderful for [its] comprehensiveness and lack of cant or favoritism… They provide clear, resonating descriptions of the overall atmosphere and realities of the big picture — the state of things — and then explain all of the details, causes, developments and machinations that have produced the facts and conditions that characterize both our economy and our politics today.” Mike Lofgren, Truthout“[T]wo sober-sided political scientists, Norman Ornstein and Thomas Mann, have recently published a book that confirms my personal observations about Congress in virtually every particular. They depict the rancorous partisanship and polarization, use of the filibuster, the decline of legislative problem-solving in favor of grandstanding and confrontation, and the universal domination of the institution by money. And they do not fail to note the tincture of craziness that has overcome the GOP in the past decade, and particularly since Obama's election.” East Bay Express (Berkeley, CA)“I recommend this book highly: “know thy enemy” remains a fundamental rule—and, after all, nobody can accuse Mann and Ornstein of being partisan Democrats. So this well balanced survey of what has gone wrong is, I think, must reading as the 100 or so days before the all-important 2012 election start counting down to 0!”

Jonathan Haidt and Marc J. Hetherington, New York Times Campaign Stops Blog“[T]here are many changes we can make now, over the next few years, that might roll back the polarization by a decade or two. Several recent books contain lists of great ideas backed up by years of insider experience (see in particular Thomas Mann and Norm Ornstein’s “It’s Even Worse Than It Looks”)…” Edward Lotterman, St. Paul Pioneer Press (St. Paul, MN)“Anyone who cares about the direction our economy is going should read the book.” Internet Bookwatch“[C]hilling observations of the latest American political developments. . . . It’s Even Worse Than It Looks is an absolute must-read for every American citizen, and worthy of the highest recommendation.”